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The risk of ebola as a pandemic?
Same old story. Everyone bitches about the United States and Europe running around and meddling in other places on the globe. Then the s**t hits the fan, and everybody wants the west to come running in to save the day.
The Onion headline has it covered:
Experts: Ebola Vaccine At Least 50 White People Away
I wonder if China is mobilizing doctors and researchers to address this issue.
Philippina
Did the mods just delete my quote about how Obama created Ebola personally at age 15? I was kidding! But apparently a few thousand people believe it:
http://christwire.org/2014/08/young-obama-visited-the-ebola-river-when-he-was-15-years-old-coincidence-i-think-not/
Yup, Ebola isn't a problem. Easy to contain. No worries about it spreading beyond a few backward countries in West Africa. Really hard for health workers to catch it...right.
Didn't even have to watch FRONTLINE tonight (PVRed to watch tomorrow) to know that the hubris displayed a month ago in this thread was overlooking the fact that even CDC was pretty worried about how this current crisis is only going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Will the Saudi's cancel the Hajj this year?
There are people that believe it is a means for population control in Africa.
"If I were reincarnated I would wish to be returned to earth as a killer virus to lower human population levels" (Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, leader of the World Wildlife Fund, quoted in "Are You Ready for Our New Age Future?" Insiders Report, American Policy Center, December 1995)
"The common strategy for dealing with rapid population growth should encourage constructive actions to lower fertility since population growth over the years will seriously negate reasonable prospects for the sound social and economic development of the peoples involved.
While the time horizon in this NSSM is the year 2000 we must recognize that in most countries, especially the LDCs, population stability cannot be achieved until the next century. There are too many powerful socio-economic factors operating on family size decisions and too much momentum built into the dynamics of population growth to permit a quick and dramatic reversal of current trends. There is also even less cause for optimism on the rapidity of socio-economic progress that would generate rapid fertility reduction in the poor LDCs than on the feasibility of extending family planning services to those in their populations who may wish to take advantage of them. Thus, at this point we cannot know with certainty when world population can feasibly be stabilized, nor can we state with assurance the limits of the world's
ecological "carrying capability". But we can be certain of the desirable direction of change and can state as a plausible objective the target of achieving replacement fertility rates by the year
2000." - (Henry Kissinger, National Security Adviser, Quoted in "National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth For U.S. Security and Overseas Interests," December 10, 1974)
Where do those idiot conspiracy theorists get their ideas?


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Written by Jason Montoya. Posted in Storytelling.
Three Problems With The Last Jedi Backlash & How We Fans Can Become Stronger Thinkers
What did you think of The Last Jedi? Did you love or hate it? Do you know why?
Since Star Wars The Last Jedi came out in December, I've sought out numerous takes (online and offline) on the film from people who loved it and people who hated it to better understand the movie. Much of this was driven by my love of Star Wars and initial trepidation of the film. While I moved towards liking The Last Jedi, there is an abundance of fans who despised it.
I'm trying to watch the last Jedi again to try to give it the benefit of the doubt but I just can't. There's so many things wrong with this movie. As soon as Luke tosses the light saber over his shoulder the movie goes to shit. It's like he's tossing my childhood away.
— Swany (@SwanyPlaysGames) March 17, 2018
In January, I explored why the film's expectations divided fans, why it's so hard for people to embrace something different, and how we don't remember well (and criticize way too easily). It was my way to inspire Star Wars fans to become better people. Much of the polarizing and drastic response was driven by expectations, and I was no exception. Many fans were able to parse out our expectations and evaluate the movie on its own merits (not based on what we wanted).
We want to go in to films without knowing anything... but with films like this even without seeing a trailer we take in this huge pile of expectations, and I'm pretty sure that's what messed up my perception of the film.
— Charlotte Gore is a Techno Bard (@CharlotteGore) April 10, 2018
In the following article, my aim is to encourage fans to become stronger thinkers and critics when we evaluate creative endeavors we like and don't care for.
Is what we're watching something we personally don't relate to or is it actually of poor quality? Is what we experience in the film more driven by our expectations and the worldview we bring to the watching experience?
Is it possible for a film to be well done and still not like it?
Is our perspective limited? Are we ignoring problems or twisting what we experience? Is there more to the story?
What we value, matters. What we don't, feels like a waste. What we expect, taints our perspective.
We humans quickly and shallowly judge people, places and things like many of the characters (Rey, Finn, & Poe) in The Last Jedi, and few people appreciate or understand the nuance in these questions when reflecting on a creative endeavor. I aim to change that through the insight and inspirational examples below. Let's strive to become thoughtful and thorough evaluators.
What Are The Three Problematic Patterns With The Last Jedi Criticism?
My reaction to both the Last Jedi trailer release and my first viewing of the movie was mixed, but after further reflection and viewings (x6), I came around to appreciating and enjoying the movie. When I went down the road of criticizing the craft of the movie (writing, directing, editing, etc...) there's a superficial layer that makes sense to chastise, but it doesn't hold up when taking a deeper dive.
And as I explored the film's criticisms, my issues with it, and engaged with others who disliked the movie, I noticed three patterns with people's negative assessments (including some of my own!).
Fans who loved the original films and despised The Last Jedi held a double standard on their evaluation of these two sets of movies.
People unfairly evaluated The Last Jedi as a standalone film while comparing to the original films as a trilogy, instead of individual stories.
As moviegoers, we bring different experiences and relate differently to stories. Much of the judgment I've explored is simply a matter of perspective, or a certain point of view, not poor storytelling.
While there are some exceptions (very few), most dissections of the film fail to separate the Star Wars elements from the craft of storytelling or film-making and are actually a veil for preference or missed expectations. I found the same pattern after reading every critic's negative review of the film (via Rotten Tomatoes), digesting tons of blogs, and scanning hundreds of twitter remarks.
We humans are emotional and inconsistent evaluators and thinkers. So, here's my write-up to help iron out the wrinkles and move myself towards a better understanding of this movie's criticism.
Backlash Pattern #1 - Inconsistent Criticisms Between The Last Jedi & The Original Films (4, 5 & 6)
The original Star Wars trilogy was filled with flawed plot points, wasn't a perfectly engineered story (Luke and Leia make out a lot ...), and had bad acting and annoying characters too. It's funny to see similar reasons used to prove the new ones are bad movies.
— Andrés Alvarez (@NerdNumbers) December 28, 2017
Many of The Last Jedi critics (professional or casual) are chronically operating with a double standard bringing a slew of accusations to the new film without realizing those same opinions applied to the original movies are just as problematic. Illuminating these issues is fine (especially if you don't like the originals), just make sure you're consistent or I won't be convinced of your argument.
Exhibit A - The Slow Chase
For example, the film was chastised for the slow "chase sequence". While the reasoning for how the chase plays out is explained in the film itself, many Star Wars fans were not buying it. But here's the problem, there's a similar dynamic in A New Hope. In the third act of episode IV, the Death Star warps near the rebel base, but it arrives where the planet is between the ship and the rebel home. It has to fly around the planet so it can destroy the moon base, which takes up the final twenty minutes of the movie.
Why didn't the death star simply jump, so the moon was in sight from the get-go? It's the same as people asking why the first order didn't just warp speed close to the resistance ships in The Last Jedi so they could quickly destroy them. Plus both of these sequences also serve different purposes. The Last Jedi chase sequence portrays an impending doom while the end of A New Hope is building up a sense of urgency. Both serve the story in a specific way.
Additional Examples of Inconsistent Criticism
While there are many of these types of story problems to choose from, here are three different examples of this inconsistent criticism that emphasize this pattern.
Many criticize the lack of backstory development for Snoke. But this lack of history is also missing for the mysterious evil Emperor. Why did this lack of backstory ruin one of the two films while the other did not? Plus, we very well could get more insight on in the next film about him (where relevant to Kylo).
It seems the bombs falling in The Last Jedi have arisen to meme status (even though the portrayal is accurate). Well if you don't remember from Return of the Jedi after the ships shoot the death star core, it begins falling (2hr 2 min). Why didn't this gravity problem ruin Return of the Jedi for most fans?
Luke is also criticized for running away into exile. Would a Jedi ever do that? What about Yoda & Obi-One-Kenobi? After an epic fail, why would anyone abandon what they know? Clearly, this concept is not unlike what has come before.
These are not invalid critiques of the movie, but illuminating them demonstrates the double standard. In the Last Jedi, these types of issues are reasons why some people hate the film, where they easily accept these same issues in the original movies. They hold a double standard, and many times don't even realize it.
My Inconsistent Criticism of The Last Jedi
Unless you like living with inconsistent beliefs, I'd recommend honest reflection. Here's an example with me at the forefront.
With both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, I had an issue with some of the contemporary language used throughout the films. The scene between Finn and Rey, when he's asking about her boyfriend, and the sequence when Luke is talking about the Jedi as a religion both bothered me.
I didn't like this contemporary element of the movies, but when I went back and watched the original films, the same element existed there. The force was talked about as an archaic religion and Han talks about hot-wiring the security door. Are there even cars in Star Wars? In a similar vein, my wife took issue with the humor throughout the film, but after she re-watched the other Star Wars movies, she found the humor was consistent with what had come before.
Have You Seen These Movies Lately?
In many cases, fans have not watched the original films for a while, and they forgot what was even in them (like I had). Even some of the critiques I've seen of The Last Jedi have me wondering if they remember what they saw or how many times they watched the movie. This was why in my previous The Last Jedi article, I talked about how we humans don't tend to remember well and how our memories can be tweaked by others.
Rey in the Last Jedi zealously jumped to conclusions and attacked (verbally and physically), only to realize her assumptions and assessments were wrong or incomplete. When she chastised Kylo for destroying the Jedi temple, it was based on her surface level understanding of the betrayal as shallowly told by Luke. She thought she knew everything, but she knew very little. Much of the fan's response is like hers. We need to pause and take time to reflect (assuming we care enough about Star Wars to do so).
For me, I want consistency when evaluating different stories and movies. If I'm going to challenge The Last Jedi for reasons that are also applicable to the original films, I need to do so accurately and consistently. If I'm going to hold to the fact I dislike The Last Jedi when the criticisms are the same or similar, my reasoning for not liking The Last Jedi must be explained outside these reasons. And, I think they can be, but most reviews and critiques fail to accomplish this.
"Is anything better than finally finding your way home? Is anything worse than finally reaching home, and finding that you're still lost?" Matt Strover, Traitor: Star Wars Legends via TV Tropes
Backlash Pattern #2 - Unfairly and Inconsistently Evaluating a Series of Films Before Completion
"I started by writing the names of each of the characters, and thinking, 'What's the hardest thing they could be faced with?" - Rian Johnson
As a variation of my first point, I've also noticed Star Wars fans evaluate The Last Jedi as a standalone movie while they refer the original films as one trilogy. They treat the Last Jedi as a finished story when we're only in the middle of the journey. For example, a friend expressed his dislike for the lack of attention that was given to Rey's response to learning about her parents. He felt this revelation had no effect on her character and no influence over the remainder of the story.
If I were to agree with this conclusion (I'll dive into why I don't in the next section on perspective), how do I reconcile that assessment with the previous films? When we compare this to Luke's revelation in The Empire Strikes Back, we don't see how Luke changes from the fact that Vader is his father until the next movie (yet another example of inconsistent judgments of the films). But when we fans think about Luke's story, we don't tend to segment them by the movie. Fans are judging a single film (The Last Jedi) against the original collection of movies. It's not a single film to single film comparison.
Hold Back & Act Generous When We're in the Middle of the Story
For example, many have criticized The Last Jedi for excluding the Knights of Ren, missing back story on Kylo and Snoke's story, and the separation of Finn and Rey for most of the movie.
These types of criticisms lack a big picture view of the overarching story. If the Knights don't arrive in the next film, Kylo's backstory is not further developed for the sake of moving the story along, and if Rey & Finn are separated, these criticisms would be valid, but they're made with assumptions of their absence in the next movie. They lack pause, and this was part of the reason why, in my last article, I concluded that we criticize way too easily.
In A New Hope we experience Luke, Leia, & Han together throughout most of the movie. There's a wonderful chemistry between those characters as they interact and challenge each other. But in The Empire Strikes back they're separated for most of the film. Is that movie a terrible one because our favorite characters are separated for most of it? If it was the only Star Wars film, it'd feel lacking, but in the context of a series of movies the separation actually creates more appreciation for what we love, and makes their time stronger and more enjoyable in Return of The Jedi.
Inconsistent and narrow quick shallow arguments are most commonly used against The Last Jedi, but they're the weakest, especially for a Star Wars or movie fan who must reconcile these challenges across all movies in the saga.
It's similar to Kylo's lack of perspective about Luke's momentary betrayal in The Last Jedi. Ren had been twisted and deceived and this perceived betrayal seemed utterly wrong, but he lacked the full picture and his own agency that led to the pivotal moment. He chose to ignore the complete story.
And this is not unlike many detractors of The Last Jedi. Maybe their expectations or values are driving their dislike of the movie more than the movie itself. There could be more to the story, which leads us to the last of my three points.
Backlash Pattern #3 - Much Of The Backlash Is Simply A Matter of Perspective (or limited understanding)
I think it was trendy to hate on it for one particular group, others like me just didn't parse the film properly because of the expectations we had going in, I'm extremely glad to have seen another side to it :)
Now that we've dismissed some superficial complaints about the film with my first two points, we can dive into four substantial ones. Because The Last Jedi confounded expectations, some people struggled to see the story and messages found in the film. It's when the expectations fade away and I watched the movie without the surprise twists and turns that I was able to appreciate and enjoy the movie for what it was.
I'll tackle four prominent criticisms in the following sections with two of the issues being ones I didn't have a problem with from the get-go while the other two required a deeper dive to come around and appreciate them.
If Holdo Told Poe About Her Plan, None Of This Would Have Happened!
Remove The Fruitless Canto Bight Storyline!
Rey's Character Doesn't Progress!
The Central Tree Burning Sequence (& the Entire Movie) Was Disgraceful To The Star Wars Legacy!
Let's get started with parsing out the perspective of these storylines and moments.
"At first I was freaked out but then I realized the things people were angry about are the things I'm most proud about," - Rian Johnson via Evening Standard
Criticism #1 - If Holdo Told Poe About Her Plan, None of This Would Have Happened!
The real problem with the Resistance bits is that it requires an idiot plot to work. If Holdo just told Poe what she was doing, none of it would have happened. And the movie doesn't give us any reason for Holdo to withhold information from Poe other than he's kind of a jerk.
— Hugo Nominee Reader (@noonanville) December 21, 2017
Many argue that Holdo should have quickly disclosed her retreat plan to Poe. From their perspective, I can understand how frustrating it would be to watch the movie constantly thinking if they just communicated, there would be no conflict and they'd work together.
The problem with this perspective is the underlying assumption that by telling Poe, he would simply agree and fall in line with her. The only aspect of the movie I found to possibly justify this perspective is Poe's acceptance of the plan at the end of the film. Unfortunately, I find the better explanation of his half-hopeful acceptance is due to the fact that his plan failed, he was forced onto the shuttle, his character grew, a friend (Princess Leia) was there to communicate and back the plan, and it was the only survival option available to the group.
When I was watching the film for the first time and the subsequent viewings, I never assumed that if Holdo told Poe, he would agree and follow her lead. I actually expected the opposite, and the film itself backs that perspective through Poe's initial failure to obey Leia's orders, his disappointment in not getting selected as the next in line leader, how quickly he was to jump to conclusions and act subversively, how he treated Holdo throughout the film, and why he gets angry (cowardice and vulnerability) with Holdo for fueling the transports. By him accidentally finding out about the plan, it ends up leading to the First Order finding out and causing the death of most of the resistance. Preventing a leak of the plan (the implication of the scene) is also a good reason not to tell everyone about it.
DJ heard about Holdo's plan when Poe told Finn over the intercom that she was fueling up the transports.
Which is also exactly why she told as few people as possible.
— Wesley van Wensen (@BoxerlessBossk) April 11, 2018
For me though, the film itself was not the only reason I expected subversion from Poe regardless of the plan's disclosure was because I've experienced being in the shoes of both Admiral Holdo and Poe Dameron. Desperate people have a hard time following directions, even when it's in their best interest. If people thought knowledge leads to obedience, or they were offended by the underlying dynamics and theme of this story element, it could have alienated them. And maybe during seasons of my life where I was living how Poe was acting, I may have been alienated as well.
When we watch a movie, what we bring and how we relate affects our experience of it. Since I could quickly and easily relate to both characters, I appreciated experiencing this story-line especially in light of how rare it is in movies, let alone Star Wars. This plot line is a terrific example of how people can watch and interpret it in drastically different ways.
"I really wanted to dig into this character and his weakness. The notion of turning from a hero into a leader seemed like an interesting notion." - Rian Johnson
Criticism #2 - Remove The Fruitless Canto Bight Storyline!
"DJ's betrayal "renders the entire plot we've seen pointless," and that the entire Canto Bight sequence is a "disgracefully bad bit of storytelling."" Alyssa Rosenberg, via Washington Post
Pride & Failure. In The Last Jedi, several of the storylines are designed to illustrate these consequences. But failure felt is more powerful when we watch and experience it. But, people have a hard time embracing failure, and I suspect that's also true when watching it play out.
Rey went to the Supremacy to team up with Kylo and end Snoke. Turns out she was a pawn in Kylo's game. She failed, and that was a waste for her storyline, but the underlying lesson of blind zeal (pride) was important for her character, much like it was for Luke in Empire Strikes Back (another example of inconsistent criticisms between movies).
During my first watch, I initially had a problem with Canto Blight for the same reasons. It seemed to slow down, distracted the main storyline, and didn't seem to mean much to the plot. But on subsequent viewings, I realized it was actually important for us to feel this failure and betrayal. It gave weight to decisions and actions while also disclosing subtle insights about the oppression of children, the grey dualism of those selling weapons to both the good and bad guys, and challenging the characters of Finn & Rose.
This is another example of how people perceived this storyline in drastically different ways, but for me, I was able to come around and appreciate its place in the story.
"Whether longtime fans like Johnson's choices or not, though, it's been odd to see the Canto Bight subplot dismissed as a waste of time, when it's so clearly central to the film's fundamental themes." - Noel Murray, via The Verge
Criticism #3 - Rey's Character Doesn't Progress!
There is the prominent argument that Rey's character didn't change or grow throughout the film, but its one I largely disagree with. In my first watch, I was disappointed by her role in the ending (which I came around to liking), but I very much enjoyed her story up to the Crait sequence.
In The Force Awakens, we witness a character (Rey) in denial about being abandoned by her parents. By this point, she has a shallow understanding of good and evil. Out of her zeal, she also sees Kylo as a monster because she witnessed him kill his father and eventually learns how he betrayed Luke. As the story plays out in The Last Jedi, she learns more of the truth with Kylo and Luke and is forced to face her naivety. She goes from seeing Kylo as evil to sharing an intimate moment and eventually teaming up with him to take down the praetorian guards. Through this relational journey with Ren, she goes from calling him a monster to sharing her deepest secrets. And then, she closes the door on him at the end as to let go of her extension of goodwill.
That journey seems quite drastic to me. She's a character who acted with limited perspective but came to recognize there is a complete set of perspectives. This movie was about the characters learning how insufficient they were for the leadership role they sought, but by the end, we got a realistic glimpse of them all stepping up to the plate for what I expect to be a bold and fun film in episode IX.
Criticism #4 - The Central Tree Burning Sequence (& The Entire Movie) Was Disgraceful To The Star Wars Legacy!
The central sequence with Luke going to burn the tree down, and Yoda confronting him is one my favorite elements of the movie. But in my first watch, I was conflicted about Yoda destroying the texts (before I knew about the ending). The scene and message were terrific, but moving forward shouldn't involve destroying something! It wasn't until my wife told me Rey had taken the original Jedi texts with her as seen at the end of the movie that I was able to fully appreciate the sequence.
This well-crafted story arc uniquely met two characters (Luke & Rey) where they were in their journey, while precisely aiding them how they needed it. Luke, who fossilized in his personal development, was forced to make a decision and let go. For Rey, she needed something to hold onto to start something new. The message I took was about respecting and honoring what came before, while also moving forward from this reverence to create from the same foundation. It was not a message about destroying everything that came before like many disgruntled fans claimed. Also, do people realize when Kylo talks about letting the past die it's stated by the villain and ignores the entire ending of the movie? Like Kylo Ren, many fans have twisted their perspective and choice to blind themselves to the entire picture.
Meeting Multiple People Where They Are
Johnson, the director, was connecting with different audiences at different stages of their own journey. To some (who connected with Luke), they felt he was tearing it down. For others (who connected with Rey), they felt like he was setting the stage for something new. Both were done with a respect that came from before it. Both received messages are problematic on their own, but fused together they have a profound impact. It's beautiful.
As we move forward in the Star Wars universe, there are similar veils of familiarity (good vs evil), but we're now seeing the underlying components that murky the waters. I don't see The Last Jedi as a reset button, although it can feel that way. I see it as a natural evolution of what came before and an open door to add layers of complexity that the original films lacked and the prequels struggled to convey.
When Rey left (in disappointment) the Island, Luke was angry and went to the tree to burn it down. He couldn't actually do it, so Yoda steps in and "holds his feet to the fire" by actually following through on Luke's intent. As soon as this happens, Luke attempts to rescue the Jedi texts, but the backdraft prevents him. One moment, he's destroying and the next he's saving. It's quite an emotional swing and one that reflects his pupil Kylo Ren well.
Luke was protecting the texts, but at the same time, he never read them. He cared about the facade or the concept of them as the Jedi texts, but he didn't value the content. On the flipside, we have Rey (reflecting a younger innocent Luke) who cared about what was inside, the content of these books. It's why she took them and I suspect will likely consume and share them.
My Personal Connection To The Tree Burning Sequence
While it's possible there's a meta intent here to communicate that fans of the originals are more enamored with the concepts and memories of the originals than they are the films themselves (content), I actually connect to this message outside the Star War universe because of my life experiences, and my faith in God.
There are many Christians who idolize the scriptures (Bible) above the source (God) of those sacred texts. The Bible is an echo from the source (God), and while it matters, many Christians who don't actually read the Bible, talk about it and defend it in the highest regard.
Unfortunately, like Luke they not only didn't read the texts, they've cut themselves off from God. And this is a destructive place to go. It's a fine hair to slice, but people can easily idolize creation over the creator (and the Bible is no exception). To experience such a powerful finely tuned message in a movie like this is rare, and it definitely resonated deeply with me.
But, it may not be for everyone. The great thing about these movies is how many and diverse they all are. There's something for different people at different stages of life. The Last Jedi dives into some powerful themes of loneliness, betrayal, and jadedness head on and it makes us feel it. And feeling these emotions is unsettling.
How Different People Perceive These Story Elements Demonstrates Their Subjective Nature
People who like #TheLastJedi have low expectations, low standards, and high tolerance for poor writing. If they do constitute the majority, they are a mob that is proud of being satisfied with mediocrity. That's the standard Star Wars will aspire to now.
— Dr. Thala Siren (@DrThalaSiren) April 12, 2018
Negative takes of The Last Jedi included a variety of issues like it was too long and boring, too busy to have an effect, too dire, and how frustratingly inconsistent it was with its terrible elements. Much of the spectrum of opinion is based on what people value most, and how those values are portrayed in the film. It's not as clear-cut as strong supporters and detractors both seem to make it out.
Imagine reading a stellar article with numerous spelling and grammatical issues. If you're bothered by those types of mistakes, it's hard to enjoy and appreciate the written piece (even when they're minor). And for each of us fans, these problems are different. It could be the writing, story, themes, flow, editing, acting, or some other variable.
Where people have reasons they hate the movie, others use those same reasons for why they love it. While many believe their conclusions are objective and true, it's not the entire story. Like we found with Luke's betrayal with Kylo Ren, the whole story does not include one side of history. It includes the bigger picture, the larger understanding.
When It Comes To Evaluation, We Care About Different Things Differently
It does what it does extremely well. It does what I expected really badly.
What we bring changes how we receive and interpret the movie. And, it goes both ways. My earlier example of the tree burning was a positive example of why I valued the intricate messages of the movie. An example of the flip-side is those who had an adverse reaction to the Holdo and Dameron storyline. It seems many people were in disbelief or upset by it, because of what they brought to the movie and how they interpreted this aspect of the movie.
On the extreme, many fans have disowned The Last Jedi saying Star Wars is no longer for them and they should move on. Ironically, these types of statements make me think of Luke's story arc in The Last Jedi. And like with him, maybe there is hope for these fans walking away, they'll come to appreciate the film after letting go of their expectation. It's also interesting it wasn't the prequels that caused them to abandon Star Wars, but the sequels. It's much more personal because the old characters are playing a role.
So while I have my issues with this movie, I find myself on the side of enjoying and appreciating it because the good far outweighs any of the negatives. I'm also entirely grateful for how well this film moves Star Wars forward setting up a foundation for a bright and strong future. With much of the film's criticism falling apart when I use the same standard with the previous movies, when I evaluate the movie as part of a larger narrative, and when I look at the film from different perspectives, it indicates that there is something else at play outside the craft of filmmaking in the divisive response to the movie. Like I mentioned earlier, it involves what people value, how they relate to the movie, and the expectations they bring.
As fans, we can look at the movie in denial like Luke, twisted like Kylo Ren, innocently like Rey, or we can choose to step back and evaluate all aspects of the things we like and don't like for a better and deeper understanding of the movie. Going through this process has helped me establish an appreciation for the richness of this film and the wonderful included pieces that make up the whole.
To become better thinkers, we need to make room for the stories to come, especially when it may not be the one we're expecting.
Explore The Last Jedi With Extra Interesting Tidbits
The Last Jedi Betterment Series
Read part 1: The Last Jedi is a Powerful Opportunity for Divided Star Wars Fans to Grow — But It Won't Be Easy
Read part 3: How The Last Jedi's Visceral & Challenging Themes Inspire Generosity & Courage
The following elements didn't make the final cut of the article, but I thought they were worth sharing.
Watch Alternative The Force Awakens Ending Video: My primary criticism of The Last Jedi is similar to that of The Dark Knight Rises. This includes the clunky transition between the two films and the choppy first acts. While leaving us on a cliffhanger as we meet Luke at the end of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi is forced to leverage the momentum to move the Rey & Luke story forward, but during the first section of The Last Jedi, this takeoff feels somewhat choppy (editing & pacing). Maybe there was a simple way to end the film, set the expectation for what was to come while also allowing the next story to move forward more smoothly?
The Backlash In Numbers: On the Last Jedi IMDB rating page, it shows an usually large amount of 1-star reviews and they're driven almost entirely by age 30+ males. This percentage is over twice as much as the Phantom Menace. It'll be interesting to see if the movie's 1-star rating stays at 6.2% over the next several years.
Did Holdo have to drive the ship? Even with Autopilot, something can always go wrong (or communication severed) and in that scenario, I'd want someone in control in case that happened (because of the stakes involved). I actually find more of an issue with the captains who stay with the secondary ships that run out of fuel and get blown up because those didn't seem necessary. With Holdo, it makes sense to me.
Giant Plot Hole: If you want to know the biggest plot hole with The Last Jedi head on over to Youtube with Jenny Nicholson and she'll fill you in here.
Additional Reads: 5 Reasons The Last Jedi Is Exquisite and the Backlash Must Stop & Rian Johnson Understands What Star Wars Needs to Do in Order to Survive
Star Wars,	The Last Jedi Betterment Blog Series - Leadership, Courage, & Generosity
Created on 23 April 2018 .

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2016 HONDA FIT EX-L NAVI SUBCOMPACT HATCHBACK
The Honda Fit is a subcompact hatchback and on a worldwide basis, one of Honda's best-selling vehicles. It's been around now since 2001, but it was 2006 before the car made its North American debut. It's built in eight countries and so far, Honda has built an impressive 5-million of them. In some countries, it's called the Honda Jazz, if ever you want to rent one while on vacation.
My most recent Fit driving experience was with an EX-L Navi model, which is the flagship of the range and with its leather seats and navigation system, comes close to being a subcompact luxury car. It's good to be able to buy a small car that has excellent basic design in upscale guise. With many rival ranges, you have to go to the model size up to get some of the goodies that come with the EX-L.
The current Fit is the third generation model and has been with us now for just over a couple of years. Initial Fit models I tried drove and handled very well indeed but I was never that happy with the styling. Since then, the Fit has improved greatly in this respect as each generation appeared. It's now as neat and attractive as any car in this class and probably better than most.
Its hatchback bodywork is highly practical, which I was able to confirm when I had to move a few cases of wine for a friend. The rear seats fold down flat and the rear head restraints snuggle right down flush with the top of the seatbacks, creating a large cargo floor that takes moments to set up. Incidentally, the head restraints deploy properly into position for tall rear passengers, so safety isn't sacrificed for the handy, easy-fold design.
Like all great small car designs, the Fit is very compact and easy to park and maneuver, but surprisingly roomy inside. I felt very comfortable driving the car and was impressed with the design of the driver's seat and the generous headroom. It's also very easy to get in and out of, a key factor in a car that sells widely to seniors as well as young families.
Fit power comes from an economical 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, 16-valve i-VTEC engine, which drives, as is usually the case with this class of car, the front wheels. It produces 130-horsepower, which is fine for city work and perfectly capable on the freeway. Other tech highlights include availability of either a continuously variable automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual. My test car came with the CV, though you can get an EX-L Navi with a manual. The little car has all-round ABS disc/drum brakes. All models – DX, LX, EX and EX-L Navi – have the same mechanical specification. The two top variants come with cast alloy wheels.
The cabin is well laid out with sensibly placed instruments and controls and plenty of knee room in the back. The navigation system is easy to set up and has a touch-screen. Similarly, it takes just a moment to hook up a mobile phone to the hands-free system that's built in. Many controls are on the steering wheel, which makes life a little easier. The front seatbelts are adjustable for height and there's plenty of interior stowage space for smaller items.
Like all Hondas, The car is beautifully put together and finished and owners can look forward to a long life from a vehicle that's durable and very intelligently designed and built. The ride is better than might be expected from a short wheelbase subcompact, but obviously doesn't match a larger model like a Civic or an Accord. Overall, it's one of the better subcompacts on the Canadian market right now.
SPECS AT A GLANCE…
BODY STYLE: Four-door hatchback
ENGINE: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder
TRANSMISSION: Continuously variable automatic, as tested (6-speed manual available)
PERFORMANCE: Zero to 100 km/h in approx. 11.5-secs
FUEL ECONOMY: 7.3-litres/100 km city; 6.1-litres/100 km hwy. (Automatic)
PRICE: Price range is approximately $14,700 to $22,890
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The term "3D printing" is an additive manufacturing method that adds material to create an object. There are three primary technologies centering on 3D printing: Selective Laser Sintering, Stereolithography, and Fused Deposition Modeling.
The Fused Deposition Modeling process is similar to using an extremely precise glue gun for drawing. FDM (known by the open source community as Fused Filament Fabrication, or FFF) commonly uses plastic from a spool called "filament". This spooled filament is similar to weed wacker line and is fed to the printer by motors. It is then melted by a heater inside the hot end, and extruded through the nozzle as a liquid onto the print bed where it immediately hardens and fuses to the layers below. The repetition of this process forms a 3D object layer by layer.
The FDM process is what desktop 3D printers commonly use. Currently this method of 3D printing is the most cost effective, but FDM can sometimes struggle with sharp corners and overhangs. Using secondary support material can often solve these 3D printing challenges.
Stereolithography is another form of 3D printing that uses a different process to create additive layers of material. In this process a photo-reactive resin is used. Remember using a magnifying glass to concentrate sunlight as a kid? Stereolithography works kind of like that. It uses a laser to draw the solid cross-section of your model. While the laser is tracing the 3D model, a new layer of liquid resin is spread over the 3D object. This liquid hardens when the beam of UV light touches it, causing it to become solid. The newly hardened layer is then repositioned so the process can repeat. As each cross-section is drawn and adheres to the previous layer, they stack up to make the complete 3D object.
Selective Laser Sintering is very similar to Stereolithography with one main exception. Instead of using a liquid resin for 3D printing, a fine powder is used. The powder can be made out of a variety of materials including metal, plastic, glass or ceramic. A roller deposits this powder and then a laser, which is tracing the shape of the 3D model, is used to sinter or fuse the powder together. This creates one layer of the 3D object. The roller then puts down another layer of powder on top of the previous and another cross-section is built. The process repeats until the model is formed. At the end, all of the remaining powder is removed, and the 3D object emerges from the dust.


Happy Sunday, friends! I hope you are having a great weekend and are ready for the week ahead. As you may know, I'm headed to BlogHer16 in just under two weeks and I'm super excited. I've been spending the past few days adding attendees to a Feedly group and reading my way through the recent posts. I found some really great sites that were new to me and I'm excited to share a few of my favorites with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
8 reasons "Pokémon Go" is great for families! by Melanie at Modernmami If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you know our almost-first-grader, Wild Man, loves Pokemon GO. We love that it gets him out exploring the neighborhood with us and this post shares more reasons to check out the game.
Day out at the Hill Country Science Mill by Jill at Ripped jeans &bifocals We have two STEM-loving kiddos and had never heard of this gem in Johnson City. It sounds like a great addition to a Texas Hill Country getaway and one we'll be sure to check out.
100 chicken recipes for meal planning by Dannelle at Operation $40K I think it's fair to say that I'm in a bit of a rut with our dinners and this extensive list is sure to bust that rut! I'm ready to get cooking!
Bacon brussels sprouts with Holli at Mom Particle Oh goodness does this sound delicious! I love brussels sprouts, but the rest of the people in my house aren't that wild about them. I'm fairly certain adding bacon and butter will get them on the sprouts train!
Fill your cup (6 ways) by Sara at Sara Dear Finding ways to nourish your soul can be tricky and I love the everyday options Sara has put together in this post.
Unapologetic "me" time by Mellissa at She Smiles Within I love the way Mellissa shares her struggle with doing it all – an issue I think most of us can relate to.
11 pineapple goodies under $30 by Evelyn at IndiaLyn Rose I adore this sweet pineapple roundup (#3 is my favorite) and I bet you will too! This list is quintessential summer fun.
90s fashion is back Kateri at SoCal Shuffle This post took me right back to my youth and made me smile so much. While I won't rock everything on the list, it's super fun to walk down memory lane and see how things are being tweaked as they come back in style.
So there are eight of my favorite posts from the women of BlogHer16. I can't wait to meet these ladies in person, soak in knowledge in the sessions, meet with brands and party at all the fun events. It's going to be a great conference!


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Dalton Castle to Stay Put
Every company goes through periods of transition and times when they have to start rebuilding the roster. I will be the first to tell you when Dalton Castle debuted in ROH at first I thought that his gimmick was far to over the top and a joke. But then after a while his gimmick grew on me and I've become a fan of Castle.
In recent months the WWE has been tied to a vast amount of talent and one of those names was Dalton Castle. I do think that Castle would fit in the WWE as his gimmick is similar to that of a Goldust in the variety of an over the top gimmick. However, it was recently reported that Dalton has resigned with Ring of Honor and will remain with the company that helped him gain national exposure.
I am very happy that Dalton decided to remain in ROH as he still has more to accomplish in the company before he walks away for greener pastures. But Dalton is also one of the many reasons why ROH will always stay ahead of the game because they find new stars from nowhere and aren't afraid to give someone the ball.
Your place to find all things Ring of Honor. History, facts and opinions on the company that focuses on wrestling.


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Q: What's a good way to sync in-house JavaScript code among projects? In my web projects (Django framework) I typically have a few internally developed JavaScript files that are shared among them. These web projects are stored in separate mercurial source code repositories. Here's the relevant directory structure:
+ static
--+ css
--+ images
--+ js
-----+ thirdparty
-----+ mycompany
--------+ shared_lib1.js
--------+ shared_lib2.js
--------+ project_only_lib.js
-----+ tests

Linking to the scripts in HTML looks like so:
<script src="/static/js/mycompany/shared_lib1.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

Currently, when I make a change (say fix a bug) in one of the shared libs and check it in, the updated code only exists in the one repository.  So, for now, I manually copy the changes over to the other repositories and check it in.
This seems pretty dumb.
Is there something else I should be doing that allows me to change the JavaScript, commit it to source control, and have the changes reflected in the other web projects?

A: You could consider storing the shared libraries in a central repository and on a central web server (e.g. http://domain.com/shared_libs/), having a directory for each revision (or tag, or revision that is a release), and embedding the libs directly from there.
For revision 45, you would have:
http://domain.com/shared_libs/45/lib1.js
http://domain.com/shared_libs/45/lib2.js

for the tag (or whatever the Mercurial equivalent is...) named "0.8-beta3", you would have
http://domain.com/shared_libs/0.8-beta3/lib1.js
http://domain.com/shared_libs/0.8-beta3/lib2.js

etc. etc.
The process of creating a new directory for each (meaningful) revision and exporting the right files should be comparably easy on any operating system.
In each project, you would only have references to the central server like this:
<script src="http://domain.com/shared_libs/45/lib1.js">

that way, every in-house project can choose which version of the shared libraries to use - great in case of incompatible changes, or production releases that needs to be deployed straight away and that can't risk using a new unknown version of the shared libraries.
Also, the shared libraries are completely separated from the projects' revision history this way.
If an important update occurs in the shared library, you would have to change the references in each project (e.g. from /45/lib1.js to /52/lib2.js - but a controlled switch to the each version will be the safer way anyway in the long run, in case a new release contains bugs that break the other projects.
Another option would be having a central repo for the shared libraries, and using whatever Mercurial's equivalent of Subversion's externals are to "link" to the libraries from each project, keeping up to date with frequent updates of the external.
(I'm making the assumption here that Mercurial deals with revision numbers just as Subversion does, creating a new one on each commit - I hope that is correct.)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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The overwhelming majority of the cars you see in our fleet were restored in house. Very rarely, however, we will perform repair/restoration services for the fellow enthusiast. Example of our expert services are found below.


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Turkey to become one of three largest European economies, minister claims
AA Photo
Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci has unveiled an ambitious goal for Turkey to become one of the three largest economies in the world by 2023, apparently bidding to surpass at least one of three giants – Germany, France or the United Kingdom.
"This country will become one of the top 10 economies in the world and top three in Europe in 2023," he said at a meeting in the southwestern province of Denizli in a reference to the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the modern Turkish Republic.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has continually set high goals for 2023, frequently touching on them during election campaigns.
The minister also questioned figures from main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, saying it was untrue that 17 million of Turkey's 77 million were living under the poverty line.
The AKP, which came to power in 2002, pushed the percentage of people living on under $4.35 a day from 30 to 2 percent by the end of 2013, he said.
The minister pledged to cut the percentage to 0 percent by the end of the year.
Nobody in Turkey lives on under 2 dollars a day, he said.
"[Kılıçdaroğlu] has no willingness to learn. He will never learn because he doesn't want to," he said.
According to 2014 International Monetary Fund (IMF) figures, Turkey is the largest 17th economy in the world at a size of $1.5 trillion, a picture corroborated by the World Bank.
Turkey is also bidding to soon surpass Italy and Spain, Zeybekci said.
Australia mining company sorry for losing radioactive device
Togg to sell pre-order rights with NFTs


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Hugo Tagholm: The last wild hunt - Oceanographic
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The last wild hunt
Hugo Tagholm has previously led the ocean campaigning charity Surfers Against Sewage and is the executive director and vice president of Oceana in the UK. In this column, he talks about the aftermath of COP15.
Words & photographs by Hugo Tagholm
More of Hugo's columns
Nature always wants to restore equilibrium
New wave protest
Mutually assured blue salvation
Protecting MPAs will help wildlife recover, support local low-impact fishers, and help strengthen coastal communities. The evidence points towards this.
I am putting pen to paper just as the United Nations Biodiversity Summit, COP15, draws to a close. Every bit as crucial as the recent climate summit COP27, this nature summit has been called the make-or-break moment for wildlife and restoring our wild, blue planet. Yet it has only just edged into the fringes of public consciousness. Whilst the noises, commitments, and lack of commitments made by governments at COP15 reverberate around the environmental NGO echo chamber, the public have often been left in the dark.
The ocean covers 70% of our planet and contains most of the world's biodiversity, yet concrete commitments and measures to restrict or curtail some of the biggest threats to our seas have been conspicuously absent from the conference at times. Over-industrialisation of our seas is already decimating fish populations and ripping apart ecosystems. Scientific guidance is all too often ignored by policymakers as they set fishing quotas and rubber stamp the industrial development of our seas, effectively legalising the destruction of biodiversity and pristine ecosystems. Governments consistently ignore legal obligations to restore fish populations and safeguard specific areas of the ocean. They collectively fail to provide the conditions needed to allow threatened and endangered species to come back from the brink.
Let us look at one glaring example here in Europe, the eel. This critically endangered fish species is already teetering on the edge of population collapse. So, you would think that every effort would be made to fully protect eels? Right? Yet this iconic fish is still subject to annual commercial fishing quotas that ignore scientific advice. An animal that plays a vital role in marine and freshwater ecosystems that may soon be wiped off Planet Ocean. This is just one glaring example of potentially catastrophic overfishing that not only poses a threat to biodiversity and ecosystems, but also the livelihoods of the fisher community. It's simple, if we catch fish faster than they can grow and reproduce, you'll end up with no fish.
Consider for a moment the public outcry there would be if commercial quotas set for their capture and consumption threatened and endangered land mammals and birds. The wild cat, water vole, puffin, hedgehog, dormouse, or red squirrel. Animals loved by the nation, surviving in only small pockets, hunted further towards collapse. People simply would not tolerate this. There would be a biodiversity rebellion calling for immediate action. So why not so for ocean life?
Whilst world leaders and diplomats set out biodiversity ambitions and commitments at COP15 in Montreal, it is important that they move faster to end destructive overfishing and follow the science to ensure that we do not empty our seas of life once and for all. Industrial fishing is the last major wild harvest of biodiversity on our planet. If governments do not enforce scientific limits, we may well see the end of other iconic species including cod.
Protecting sea life will in turn protect coastal communities and the livelihood of fishers from John O'Groats to Lands' End. Whilst the UK has led strongly on the global call to protect 30% of our land and sea by 2030, a commitment that should be reinforced, ratified, and implemented through COP15, it is an increasingly contentious area of international discussions, when developed nations push for strong overseas protections whilst failing on their own shores. A recent report shows that the UK is alarmingly far off track of reaching the target of 30% of our seas protected by 2030. 92% of the UK's so-called Marine Protected Areas (MPA's) do not have site-wide protection against the most destructive types of fishing including super trawling and bottom trawling.
Shockingly, over 60% of offshore MPAs are open to all fishing activity year-round with just five of the UK's 76 offshore MPAs are protected against bottom towed gear that devastates the seabed and destroys marine life beyond the target fish species. An estimated 80% of seagrass, kelp forest, reefs, and saltmarsh habitats, which are critical for biodiversity, are nominally protected within MPAs, but just 22% are safeguarded from bottom towed gear.
Banning destructive industrial fishing vessels and techniques from these areas, inshore and offshore, would be one of the most beneficial measures for the recovery of fish populations and biodiversity in our seas. We have the power to do this in the UK, as demonstrated by the recent ban on bottom trawling in the Dogger Bank – a hard won campaign victory for Oceana, the Blue Marine Foundation, the Marine Conservation Society and Greenpeace. We now need to roll this out across our MPAs, alongside restoration efforts and other measures to protect and restore the ocean.
Protecting MPAs will help wildlife recover, support local low-impact fishers, and help strengthen coastal communities. All the evidence points towards this. Case studies from Mexico to Lundy Island, show where strong marine protection areas and measures are properly implemented, life bounces back, as do local economies. Politicians continue to call for more science and evidence, yet we already have all we need to act. The lighthouse of protection and restoration shines brightly. We know where we need to sail this ship, and we know the treacherous rocks we must avoid.
As I close this article, negotiators in Montreal have reached a deal – the historic Kunming-Montreal agreement to protect nature to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Some say it doesn't go far enough. As a voluntary agreement, it will need governments adopting it into legally binding policy, legislation, and clear targets for it to be effective. We're in a decade that needs action not words. A framework for protecting biodiversity is fantastic, but without full and ambitious implementation it won't protect the paper it's written on. Kudos to all the campaigners who got us this far.
It's now time to redouble our efforts to shine the light on the blue pathway to thriving seas, to demand that words become action, and that governments worldwide are held to account on protecting this amazing Blue Planet.
This feature appears in ISSUE 28: SEA FORESTS of Oceanographic Magazine


The meanings of words change over time. "Gentleman" once meant a person privy to the person of the king; eventually, it meant a man of wealth and station; now, it adorns the entrance to a toilet intended for males. This devolution has done no noticeable harm. However, "liberal" — Thomas Jefferson was one — has decayed in similar fashion. Ditto progressive — Theodore Roosevelt was a progressive, and were he alive today would probably be outraged at the current usage. These are, unfortunately, common devolutions. It is offensive to understanding and to common decency to usurp words and twist them beyond recognition — apparently, to benefit without the substance from the pleasing coloration associated with what they once meant. It is little better to apply once-honorable labels to such people. And worse, perhaps, the sloppy use of such words prevents the communication of even clear thoughts, facilitating misleading harangues.
According to the dictionary, the adjective "liberal" comes from liberalis (latin), meaning "of freedom." "Liberal" describes someone who … has an open mind, free from bigotry or bias, not constrained by standard doctrine — indeed, someone who actively resists orthodoxy.
Calling oneself "a liberal" [in the current fashion] connotes an affiliation with the political philosophy known as liberalism. This is a misnomer bordering on oxymoron….
Liberalism was founded on the primacy of the individual and the rule of the individual in contrast to the rule of the monarchy, the priesthood, or the central authority….
The central authority (government) knows best, rather than individuals.
The government should take care of me (no personal responsibility).
The government should make the rationing (balancing) decisions between supply and demand rather than letting the market do that.
A liberal will aggressively even violently defend "liberal" orthodoxy: You either agree with me in all particulars or you are an amoral heretic and outcast [emphasis in original].
A "conservative," as I try to use the word, wants to conserve the good in society, while pressing for incremental change for the better. Some "conservatives" have opposed all change, much as did the royalists in France before the revolution. Britain accepted incremental change while preserving what was basic and good. France? She had her bloody revolution.
[The] mass murder at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's meet-up with her Arizona constituents was immediately politicized by progressive politicians and media figures. But it's wrong to see this as an unusual event. It's the way things are always done when progressives have any power to reach the public: everything is political. And President Obama is doing his very best to take advantage of the situation.
anyone serving food for public consumption, whether for the homeless or for sale, must have a permit, [per] Kathy Barton, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department. To get that permit, the food must be prepared in a certified kitchen with a certified food manager.
Bobby Herring said those rules would preclude them from continuing to feed the 60 to 120 people they assisted nightly for more than a year. The food had been donated from area businesses and prepared in various kitchens by volunteers or by his wife.
The private charity in which Roosevelt was involved also provided a place where the newsboys could sleep comfortably. Not free, it cost five cents a night. This sort of "intrusion" on "governmental functions" considered by the modern neo-progressives to be all important would probably be prohibited as well. The senior Roosevelt and his friends were also successful over the years in sending about 100,000 newsboys west to work on farms — child labor, gasp — to learn productive activity and to become responsible, self-sufficient adults — instead of adult street criminals. He also worked, with some success, to clean, rather than to lubricate, the political machine of the day. At a very young age, TR took on that job left to him by his father.
He became "Mr. Progressive" and an acknowledged leader of the Republican progressive movement. In 1884, at the age of twenty-five, he nearly succeeded in swaying the Republican Party to nominate sitting President Chester A. Arthur (September 1881 – 1884), at least a moderate progressive, as its presidential candidate. Arthur had been the vice president under James Garfield, who had been assassinated by an "embittered attorney" in 1881. By 1884 Arthur was quite sick with a kidney disease, a fact concealed from the public, and did not seek the nomination; he died in 1886. Despite TR's impassioned speeches, one given while standing on furniture at the Chicago convention hall, yelling in his high-pitched voice and with his arms flailing, the old Republicans of the day prevailed and James Blaine — an enemy of much that TR and his father had held dear — got the nomination. TR provided only the most tepid support.
Invariably he was right on the job holding his own with the best of them … with all his natural intensiveness…. Riding circle twice a day, often taking the outer swing, taking his turn on a day-herd or night-guard duty, helping with the cutting-out operations, branding calves … he was in the saddle all of eighteen hours per day … like the rest of us….
One night while riding night-guard, during a stampede caused by a violent thunderstorm, TR spent forty hours in the saddle and exhausted five horses. TR wrote that after a time, "All strangeness passed off, the attitude of my fellow cowpunchers being one of friendly forgiveness even toward my spectacles." His equals referred to him as Theodore; he insisted that the cowboys call him Mr. Roosevelt.
It was not his nature to stay away from politics for long and he didn't. In 1900, by then at the ripe old age of forty-two, TR was given the vice presidential nomination to get him out of the way — he was by then the governor of New York and had continued to offend many machine politicians — so that those who knew best how to run the country could get on with their work and dispense patronage unhindered, the old fashioned way. Senator Marcus Hanna, McKinley's chief strategist, complained, "Don't you realize that there's only one heartbeat between that damned cowboy and the White House?" This attempt to send him into oblivion might have succeeded indefinitely but for the assassination of President McKinley by a "deranged anarchist" in 1901.
Great work, Dan! Too many people these days, educated to be highly sensitive liberals ignorant of history and much else (thank a teacher or a professor for that), completely fail to understand what basic terms like liberal, progressive, and conservative mean. It's easy enough to say that what they meant a century or more ago is irrelevant to today's political discourse, but that's incorrect. For example, the Republican Party, as it evolved and displaced the Whigs in Lincoln's time, was the party most opposed to slavery. That tradition carried forward for many years, to the point where the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed with stronger support from Republicans than from Democrats.
In the end, what matters more than labels is what people actually stand for, their motivations, and the factual knowledge they bring to the formation of their ideas. There are many liberals and Democrats who aren't of the leftist persuasion, despite their sometimes ill-advised support of that destructive wing of their Party, and it's their evolving alliance with reasonable conservatives and Republicans that will turn things around in the U.S. If, of course, it happens.


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Does Northcrest An Assisted Living Center offer the following services?
North Muskegon assisted living communities provide those in the North Muskegon, MI area a senior housing option that allows for independent living while also providing helpful assistance when needed in a senior community.
Seniors in North Muskegon can move on from the responsibility of managing and maintaining one's own home and choose to live in one of the 3 North Muskegon assisted living facilities that offer supervision and assistance with activities of daily living when needed.


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Home Europe Cryptocurrency Twins are now worth over £41 Million
Cryptocurrency Twins are now worth over £41 Million
Pictured is Steve Williams (left) and brother Sam. Steve and Sam, who are identical twins quit running with inner city gang members and have become multi-millionaires worth more than £41 million after the cryptocurrency they started became a global hit.Disclaimer: While Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd uses its' best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied. The publication of images is solely at your discretion. For terms and conditions see http://www.cavendish-press.co.uk/pages/terms-and-conditions.aspx
By MARTIN ROBINSON
First Published 13:39, 17 September 2018
Two identical twins and former gang members are now worth £41million and friends with the rich and famous after launching their own cryptocurrency just last year.
Sam and Steve Nico Williams, 38, from Brockley, south-east London, have revealed how they turned their lives around, moved into finance and made their fortune.
Last year Steve launched the cryptocurrency, Populous (PPT) which is the 52nd most valuable cryptocurrency token in the world, worth £96.5million.
Steve and Sam, pictured with rapper 50 Cent, have made much of their fortune in the past year after launching a cryptocurrency
The twins, pictured with boxer Floyd Mayweather, who say they want to use their wealth to create opportunities for others from hard-up communities
Populous is an invoice discounting platform that helps small and medium-sized businesses with cash flow problems to raise finance against invoices from the crypto community.
Their other investments include a stake in the Michelin-starred Restaurant Story in London Bridge, and a London estate agency chain.
The brothers have previously met a string of celebrities including rapper 50 Cent and former world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather.
Steve, the older brother by one minute, said: 'I have always been fascinated with the world of finance. We have gone through a lot together as brothers and it is great that all our hard work has paid off.'
Sam and Steve both attended Crofton Comprehensive in Lewisham, now renamed Prendergast Ladywell School, where 22 per cent of pupils get free school meals and exam passes are well below the national average.
Their mother, a chef, and their father, an accountant, moved to the UK from Nigeria and worked long hours to provide for their sons.
But Steve fell into the wrong crowd for a while, and 12 years ago was convicted of obtaining money by deception.
He said: 'It was a major wake-up call and I had plenty of time to think about what I was going to do with my life. I made a big mistake and I paid for it.
'I knew I had to turn my life around and work hard to achieve a good life for me and my family. I also want to give back by helping youths on the streets and those involved in street crime and I hope to inspire and create positive opportunities for them.'
Learn More and Invest in Crypto
Steve, described as 'the brains' behind Populous, is a commercial data expert and studied a GNVQ in Advanced Business at Crofton Comprehensive School in Lewisham.
Sam excelled at computer programming at the same school's sixth form.
After leaving school, the brothers started various businesses such as Tramp, a lifestyle and concierge magazine, and researched financial markets and data, before they decided to move into the lucrative world of cryptocurrency.
Steve and Sam grew up in a deprived area of south-east London and have turned their lives around after a tough start
Steve and Sam (left to right as children, right today) grew up in a deprived area of south-east London and have turned their lives around after a tough start
They worked solidly for four years to build the blockchain code for their tokens on their mum's kitchen table in Brockley and were shocked by the huge success when Steve put the Populous (PPT) token on the market in June 2017.
They originally thought it might raise a few thousand pounds, but 24 hours later they had assets worth £1.85million in Ethereum digital currency.
Sam said: 'The success Populous has exceeded all expectations – we thought it would do well but this has been phenomenal.
'We had been involved on the fringes of gangs as teenagers when we were growing up in South London – but it's fair to say that our lifestyles has changed completely in the past year.'
The brothers have released 37million PPT tokens to have funds to develop the coin further and retained 16 million PPT tokens which are currently trading at $3.42 which makes their current net worth £41.76 million, according to the CoinMarketCap table of the world's leading cryptocurrencies.
The value of cryptocurrencies changes daily, but all of Populous' early investors have made a fortune.
At the peak of the crypto market back in March 2018, the brothers were worth up to £1billion when the coin peaked at $68.91 but there has been a steep market change downwards since then.
Even now, with the market at its lowest ebb, they are still sitting on a fortune worth tens of millions.
Sam has now launched two crypto tokens, Zloadr, a due diligence token which can assess the profitability and liquidity of businesses, and DocTailor, a token for legal professionals to offer their services to the tech community.
Steve has launched a new business intelligence token 'PXT' alongside his latest venture, Populous World's XBRL platform.
The Williams brothers' business operations are located in Mayfair's exclusive Berkeley Square they also own a stake in Tom Sellers' critically acclaimed Michelin-starred Restaurant Story in London – famous for its 10-course set menu.
Speculation in cryptocurrencies has shot up in the past 18 months and the biggest and best known currency, Bitcoin, reached a value of $20,000 earlier this year, though it has since slumped back to just over $6,400.
Major banks are now getting involved in trading cryptocurrencies and Goldman Sachs launched a Crypto trading desk in May this year to capitalise on the huge growth of this market.
Other Crypto Twins
The Williams brothers are not the only identical twins who have made it big in crypto currencies.
American investors Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, whose story was featured in the movie The Social Network, have been hailed as the world's first bitcoin billionaires.
When the twins were awarded $65 million in cash and Facebook stock after a lengthy legal dispute with Mark Zuckerberg, they used their windfall to back Bitcoin and the decision paid off.
At the start of 2018, their holding was worth more than $1 billion.
Source: dailymail.com
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University of Florida-led ventilator design clears first FDA review, offers hope for coronavirus patients
Built with parts available at Home Depot, costing less than $250, this DIY medical device may bridge the gap where COVID-19 patients overwhelm hospitals.
Douglas Ray
A ventilator envisioned by a University of Florida engineer and built with do-it-yourself parts gained first-step FDA authorization this week, offering hope that it could be in use within weeks at hospitals around the world where COVID-19 patients have overwhelmed supplies of traditional medical equipment.
The ventilator, composed of parts readily available for less than $250, can be assembled in less than an hour. UF has made plans and software available free over the internet.
"The testing is obviously important right now because the worst-case scenario is that a patient will need three weeks of ventilator support, so we want to make sure this will run non-stop for three weeks," said Samsun Lampotang, a professor of anesthesiology in the UF College of Medicine, who led design of the device.
"Our fear is that the surge will overtake us. But in Florida it looks like we'll be able to finish our testing, which will end not this Friday but next Friday," Lampotang said Wednesday.
Food and Drug Administration timeline
"Our time frame (for approval) is days. Normally it is years," he said.
Authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration is needed before hospitals can begin using plans to build their own ventilators. The FDA is allowing a two-step process for the Emergency Use Authorization.
The first step — design review — in the past has taken months to complete. Lampotang submitted his pre-EUA application at 9 p.m. Tuesday. He received word before midnight that he can proceed to the final step.
By next Friday, the test models will have cycled through 1 million assisted breaths over more than three weeks.
Patients suffering severe cases of COVID-19 can require ventilators to help them breathe. Patients can die if the equipment isn't available. "New York really needs this right now," Lampotang said.
How the DIY ventilator works
The DIY ventilator doesn't look impressive. Short pieces of PVC are assembled in an H-shape less than 3 feet long. At one end, an air compressor regulator receives oxygen. The flow is controlled by a Rainbird lawn irrigation valve that is wired to an Arduino microprocessor, familiar to computer hobbyists. Tubes at the other end would lead into a patient's lungs.
The pieces can be pulled apart because using PVC cement could add hazardous fumes, but they are snug enough to hold despite the air pressure.
In a lab at the medical school, a webcam monitors each simulated breath.
As an engineering student at UF, Lampotang helped respiratory therapists build a mobile ventilator that became a commercial success. It sparked an idea when projections showed the coronavirus pandemic might overwhelm the supply of ventilators at hotspots in the United States and around the world.
Working with parts bought at Home Depot, and collaborating with colleagues at UF and around the globe, they invented an open-source DIY ventilator.
A Canadian anesthesiologist built one as a home project with his school-age kids.
Standard hospital ventilators are designed for use by a single patient, but in New York and hot spots in Europe up to four patients are placed on a single ventilator. That can create cross-contamination between the patients.
The emerging plan is that when there is insufficient availability of standard hospital ventilators, anesthesia machines that also have the ability to assist breathing will be used. When those grow short, mobile ventilators will be brought in. After that, ventilators pulled from veterinary hospitals will be brought into service.
The fifth option will be the UF ventilator. But in the developing world, where other options may not be available to begin with, it may be the only option.
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The UF ventilator
There will be two general designs: a strict design and set of parts approved by the FDA, and an "off label" version that may need to draw on whatever similar parts are available in different parts of the world.
"I'm trying to make sure we don't oversell this because that's easy to do. I'm trying to be very conservative. That's why we have such transparency. That's the open source aspect," Lampotang said.
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For instance, one drawback of the minimalist design is that it lacks "spontaneous support." It controls the patient's breathing without backing off when the patient may be able to take an unaided breath. Ventilators with spontaneous support are better because a recovering patient can ween off them gradually.
"It's better than nothing," Lampotang said. "It's survival."
And he hopes a next step will be to use machine learning technology to help with basic adjustments a respiratory therapist would handle, in case therapists are in short supply.
He doesn't envision the device as a commercial product, although Lampotang has 43 patents belonging to UF. In fact, after the pandemic ends, the FDA Emergency Use Authorization will expire.
"We envision this as a bridge ventilator. It bridges the gap. Hopefully GM and Ford have the assembly lines going and we've done our job," Lampotang said.
Editor's note: This story has been edited since initial publication to clarify the goal of future machine learning enhancements.


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Emma is © Miramax Films and BBC. All of my Fan Art under "Shattered Glass" is believed to be within my rights under US Copyright Fair Use Act [Title 17, US Code.]. This artwork is being created for personal enjoyment & sharing and in no way being used for commercial purposes.


I could not be happier today because i just did a huge H&M haul yesterday. Well i bought almost everything i like in H&M Crystal Galleria in Jing'an. I really reccomend you guys if you are staying in Shanghai or just travelling here, because their collection is good (especially for the sale section). This Wednesday i was trying to wake up early but as always i failed. So i did not really have plan to prepare my outfit and the outerwear thin coat plus the boots just keep staying in my head, which is some sort of sign that i should wear it very soon.
Can you guess how much i got the long black outerwear? It was on sale and i've been wanting this item so bad, luckily i did not rush things and did not expect they would put it on sale from 500 to 200 RMB. Which is a very good deal! It does not take me long enough to put this beautiful long black outerwear inside my shopping back and constantly searching for more (girls).
Whereas the white + black shirt is from Forever 21. I bought it last year during summer so the fabric is quite light and thin, very suitable for this spring temperature with a little touch of outerwear. The pants is quite loose and does not stretch, which kind of minim your movement but then if you are not planning to do any sports with this pants then you're OK !
The awkward thing that happened during the shoot was when bunch of Chinese soldiers watch you posing :'), made me limit myself in terms of posing because they were staring at me and it was quite intimidating.
And i love my new boots from H&M, for now i have 8 pairs of boots, only boots, either high heels, medium, or without heels. I just could not get enough. Well actually, girls are just could not get enough of black boots. Guess how much the price was!! Got it for 100 RMB, yeah they were discounted coz i think they want to get rid of all the boots and change to something more "Spring Feeling".
PS : tomorrow we are attending an exhibition and what would i wear?? Stay tuned for more!


Is the Star of Bethlehem a Myth or Reality?
I thought you would find this interesting as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, heralded by a super star!
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world…" (Psalm 19).
Perhaps the greatest and most mysterious astronomical event in history is the Star of Bethlehem. After studying blood moons (lunar eclipses) and their historical and prophetic significance, I've become increasingly fascinated by celestial events as they relate to God's Word.
The stars and celestial events carry messages to us from God, like traffic signals warning us that danger is coming or it's OK to go, or something momentous is taking place. The Bible tells us "the skies proclaim the work of His hands." Studying and interpreting God's creation is NOT the same as astrology, which the Bible strictly forbids. Astrology assumes that stars are causes of earthly events. The Bible declares that stars and celestial events can signal messages about earthly events. A star shone as a sign of the first coming of Jesus. As we anticipate His second coming, we are admonished to look up and watch, because "there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars…" (Luke 21:25-28).
For centuries the Star of Bethlehem has been the subject of wonder and debate among scientists and scholars. Some scientists consider the Star to be a myth, a legend. Scholars, unable to accept it literally, call it a literary symbol. Astronomers have searched the skies and recorded history for evidence of a supernova (exploding star), comet, or meteors—anything to explain the biblical account—but found nothing. Even theologians question whether the Star was a supernatural event, a miracle, or a spiritual metaphor.
But all that has changed in the past few decades. With new historical knowledge and the use of computers, we can create models of the universe as it existed 2000 years ago. The story of the Star and the famous wise men who followed it is proving to be real and scientifically demonstrated!
There are several great sources for the information I'm about to share, such as The Star That Astonished the World, published by Dr. Ernest Martin (1996), and more recently, a dvd and website which I highly recommend called The Star of Bethlehem.
What we know now is that some very remarkable celestial events took place in the Middle East beginning in the summer of 3 BC. King Herod, who ordered the killing of all male babies two years and younger in Bethlehem, died shortly after a total eclipse of the moon on January 9, 1 BC (you can check this out at NASA's eclipse website here). This would put the birth of Jesus somewhere near 3 or 2 BC.
The ancient Magi or wise men of the Bible most certainly followed the celestial events of 3 and 2 BC. "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him," they asked upon arriving in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:2).
Matthew reports that the wise men were from the East, and Babylon is east of Judea. This would account for their interest in a Jewish king and for Herod giving them an audience, as well as his harsh reaction to their news.
What the wise men saw as they followed the star, was most likely a "conjunction." At dawn of August 12, BC, the Magi watched as the planet Jupiter (known as the King planet) and Venus (known as the Mother planet) appeared to merge in the eastern sky, creating the effect of a super conjunction of planets. To the magi, this heralded an important event—such as the birth of a king!
In June, 2 BC, a conjunction of the same planets occurred again, only this time it was so close (one of the closest conjunctions ever to occur in the history of the world) that it would have astounded the people of the ancient world. What the Magi saw from their home in Babylon was a super star shining in the west, directly toward Jerusalem.
Other unique and dramatic celestial events took place during this time period. The planet Jupiter also rose to meet Regulus (the bright King star) on three different occasions and made a "halo loop" over the star. The Magi were undoubtedly convinced that a great event had occurred.
As the Magi made their journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, they would see the Jupiter-Venus pair moving from east toward the south (the direction of Bethlehem) due to the rotation of the earth.
When the Magi first reached Herod in Jerusalem, they asked where the King of the Jews had been born. As they left the palace to look directly over Bethlehem, they would have seen Jupiter now appearing to have stopped, stationary in the heavens, mid-bodied to the constellation Virgo the Virgin and shining directly down on Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. This event happened on December 25, 2 BC, when some believe the wise men actually gave their gifts to the baby Jesus, some 15 months after His birth.
"A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter" (Revelation 12:1-5).
A birth of astronomical significance occurred when the sun was mid-bodied to a woman, shown in heaven with the moon at her feet. Astronomers can easily figure out the time of year this was if the symbolic woman was Virgo the Virgin as John seems to suggest.
All this adds up to a day in late summer in 3 BC, the year many now agree Jesus was born. It would have been in the early evening on the first day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar, with a new moon in the heavens. Some believe His birth took place September 11, 3 BC during Rosh Hashanah, the Day of the Trumpets, or two weeks later during the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23).
And now, fast forward 33 years, to the day when the sun went dark and the Son of God, the Messiah, hung on a cross and died to save us. There is much compelling evidence that that day was April 3, 33 AD. Now, I will admit, this is not agreed upon by all researchers. Sir Isaac Newton proposed this day, but he also had April 23, 34 AD in mind. However, the evidence is compelling, and adding to it is the fact that on April 3, 33 AD, a blood moon rose in the evening sky, as a lunar eclipse finished the day. You can read the research in detail in several sources, including the Star of Bethlehem website, where the crucifixion is discussed.
God gives us many signposts along the way in life, through His Word, through His Spirit, and through the signs and wonders He places in His creation. Like poetry written in the skies, the stars and heavenly bodies proclaim His glory, declare His work, capture our attention and cause up to look up and watch for His coming.
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Home Politics Corporations that love us, then kick us
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Corporations that love us, then kick us
Rob Schlegel
Pride is celebrated across the nation, mostly around June, but here in Las Vegas, it'll be with a night parade on Saturday, Oct. 11 and a festival on Sunday, Oct. 12.
While the celebration of pride is about "coming out" and being proud enough to tell the world about one's sexual orientation, over the years it's grown into more of a huge party. Part of that has to do with corporate sponsorships, whose money helps fund these lavish events.
With today's political climate being as toxic as it has become, primarily due to conservative elected officials, there is a new movement to call out two-faced corporations. These are corporations who, on one hand claim diversity, tolerance and support of the LGBTQIA+ community, but then turn around also support elected officials and organizations who work to take away the LGBTQIA+ rights.
Many of these same corporations also appear on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index, often receiving 100% scores for equality in the workplace. The issue is, many of these corporations also donate to Members of Congress who receive a failing grade of 0% on HRC's Congressional Scorecard – a discrepancy HRC has yet to address.
Nine corporations, who each scored 100% on HRC also participate in pride festivals, often as corporate sponsors and parade contingencies. These nine also give money to political candidates. Below are the amount given to candidates who score 0% on the HRC political scorecard. The list was compiled by Popular Information.
AT&T – $2,755,000 to 193 homophobic politicians
UPS – $2,366,122 to 159 politicians
Comcast – $2,116,500 to 154 politicians
Home Depot – $1,825,500 to 111 politicians
General Electric – $1,380,500 to 97 politicians
FedEx – $1,261,500 to 75 politicians
UBS – $1,094,750 to 72 politicians
Verizon – $1,022,803 to 74 politicians
Pfizer – $959,263 to 52 politicians
In Las Vegas, our local Pride organization does not show any of these nine listed as corporate sponsors, but at least AT&T, UPS, FedEx and Verizon usually have contingencies in the pride parade and the AFAN AIDS Walk. Most usually purchase booths at our local pride festival.
Las Vegas Pride does have several radio stations which are shown as corporate sponsors. These stations are owned by corporations which also own, mostly AM radio stations, which spew toxic hate speech, such as Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, Laura Ingram, Rick Burgess and others.
One radio talk show host compares gay marriage acceptance to the normalization of pedophilia. The mega-radio corporation which runs this talk show, oddly enough, also owns Channel Q, which promotes itself as "an innovative media destination built for and by the LGBTQ+ community and our allies." One must wonder how "allied" the parent corporation, Radio.com, really is.
More importantly, when attending pride or an HIV-related event, one should show this article to representatives of these corporations
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